The little ones

Not much is happening at 4kr, but thankfully that is a good thing. Our kits that were born last week are thriving. This is such a blessing as we were all on edge as to whether Diamond would accept and care for her kits as well as the foster ones. She only feeds once a day-they are never fat- but are lean and incredibly active. Maybe their hyperactivity is because she keeps them a bit hungry. Regardless, they are alive and if she can make it to the 13th, they will be eating pellets then.:-)



Took the junior does and the previous litter out and have noted that the crossing of BOJ and Percy lines mesh incredibly well. Unfortunately I sold Lilly but she has produced a very nice trio that I am keeping and I'm very excited to start my lines with them as the first generation of 4King's. Knowing how well they cross, I will be getting a BOJ buck in November. YAY!! He should improve the head and ears in my herd, something that Lilly did not pass on. Another convention purchase is from Percy lineage and I'm very excited to add her as well. So...looks like I'll be getting an east coast doe and a west coast buck! LOL Yep, I'm broke. It's alright, I'm quite pleased with what I'm seeing in the litters now so I will work these two lines to create my own. Exciting times!

Pearl

I believe everything happens for a reason and God puts special people and animals in our lives when we need it the most. Pearl was born on the first of July, my first sport baby born since the re-establishment of our rabbitry. My daughter fell in love and when she opened her eyes, she was the cutest thing I had ever seen. How could I ever let her go?

About that time I received an email from a sweet lady looking for the perfect match and something pulled in my heart that this little darling belonged to her, I just knew it and it seemed as if Pearl did too. If you've ever heard "a match made in heaven", this would certainly describe the bond between these two. I could have never imagined a better home for her. Knowing how much she is loved and cared for and gives that same love back to her bun mom is the greatest feeling for any breeder or animal person. Not only am I blessed to know that one of my babies has a great home but most importantly I have gained a special friend and that alone is the best gift anyone could receive.

Pearl with one of her many toys(pictures taken by her bun mom)...she is so smart!

The weekend...

...was a big flop. But that's okay, the kids had fun and so that's what matters is that they had a few good memories. The good thing is that I was able to pick up my new dura trays...which I Love by the way! Moved a few bunnies out to their new homes and can't wait to see how they do for their new owners. I think we may actually start to have enough DH in this area to start some classes again!! Only thing is that I have nil to nothing to show-lol. Anyhow, the kids were just really hyper and we didn't get to stay long at all. I wanted to meet some of our club officers/members but with just my sister along to help, we were exhausted. See, my son has ADHD and he had to be off meds yesterday so yeah...you can imagine.:-) Really wish we could have shown some bunnies...We'll aim for February. Need to get heads/ears fixed...LOL

Really loving my little junior bucks...oh if I could get some little junior does!

Babies!

The babies have arrived! Diamond had 2 marked babies, and Willow had 2 marked, 1 charlie, and 2 sports. So 7 newborns total! Oiy! What a blessing. Its hard to get pictures right now but here are a couple quick shots.

I'm ready!

With so many changes going on here lately, its exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. I have two litters due tomorrow, four bunnies moving out this weekend, two moving in, and hopefully found a convention hopeful to bring home in November. Yay!! All great news.:D Can't wait until this weekend! Pics of the show to come...

Of course you know me and pictures, hehe! Here is Hannah and Muffy...she's terrified he is going to scratch her and yes even with nails clipped he probably will. :P

The Princess

As I type, I am still smelling of bleach even after a long shower. lol Last night and this morning, everything was pulled out and bleached/cleaned thoroughly. Now I have a clean smelling barn and shiny cages. So glad I did it but man it was a lot of work. Re-arranged the bunnies and decided that I am going to Cleburne next weekend. Won't have a thing to show but I need new dura tray pans to replace these awful rusty metal ones and have several buns to deliver. I hope to see everybody soon!

Of course you know I love posts with pictures so here you are, Princess Katrina disapproving the cleaning madness and using her brother as a pillow. She is a hoot!

Eyebands

Eyebands are what makes an Hotot an Hotot and its the first thing that the eye is drawn to. Although they are only worth 15 points out of 100 on the standard of perfection, many judges tend to make remarks on the eyebands than the rabbit's overall type. Most of the time breeders don't even look at them, if they have them then they can stay. Simple as that. I am seeing a wide variety of eyebands in my barn, some are partial, some wide, some thin, some uneven, I can tell who the bunny is by just looking at the eyeband. I've studied them that much. lol Here are a few examples of different kinds of eyebands.

The standard states:
"Markings shall consist of a narrow, well defined band of colored fur, forming a complete outline of the eye.Color is to be as intense and dark as possible. Ideal eyeband width is to be equal to the thickness of two pennies."

This rabbit has typical eyebands that I tend to see most often, they are thin on the top and bottom and will drag outward on the inner/outer part of the eye.


This is a break in the eyebands, if you ever have any question as to whether it is a broken band or not, look above the animal and as you look downward you will see the white hairs that make the band a partial one.


Partial bands...this rabbit has obvious white hairs throughout the lower half of the band.


Wide bands, very nice dark color and I like how the band shows thickness at the top and bottom of the eye. A little bit of 'feathering' toward the back of the eye.


Perfect! Well, nothing is perfect but I would say this eyeband is clean, even around the eye, and shows a consistent thickness throughout.

Its a new day...

With 2 losses in 2 days, its been tough. For those who didn't know, one of Lilly's babies had an infected abscess type thing going on and then a little doe a youth breeder was going to be picking up developed a bad case of wry neck literally overnight. What will I be doing this evening? You guess it, bleaching cages.

Its okay, life goes on, the stress of this horrible week will pass. On the bright side, my keepers have been inducted with their photo taken on the black background for the website, I'm hoping to see pictures of my new little buck in Oregon today, and both girls are palp. positive for babies this coming Thursday/Friday. It will be alright, God is good and provides.

Here is Mack, he's growing up so fast, I love his wide straight hocks, will be a showstopper if he isn't DQ'ed because of his thin bands.


May everyone have a blessed weekend!

New look!

The barn got a new look today, it not only protects the wood but also insulates. I love it!

Before:


After:

Feed...time to buy again?!

You know I used to buy one bag a feed and it lasted 3 months...granted I had 4 rabbits, all dry does and a buck. Now, 8 months later, I go through 1 bag every month! Oiy! I know, I know, some of you are saying oh gee whiz since I'm sure most breeders go through feed quicker than I do since they have more rabbits. Its funny though, I told my feed dealer that it would be a month and a half to two months before I needed a bag of feed, since they have to special order it for me...this was August 16th...today I call begging for a bag and he just had to laugh-"girl you haven't even made it to a month!" Thankfully they have a bag waiting on me, maybe they knew it all along. ;-)

My piggies, I blame them(they constantly gather at the feed dish, I have to fill it twice a day or more):


Nom nom nom:

Ventilation

Hmm...sure wish I would studied up on this subject before now! Since the siding will be up this weekend, we need to consider some sort of ventilation system and get it up soon. I have been lucky enough this summer to not really have a need for it since I open the window at night and leave the door open in early mornings. Pretty sure that I probably need more than that as our rabbitry grows. If I could get away with something that didn't use electricity that would be 'icing on the cake'.

Here's what I'm thinking about. Place two of these on opposite ends and open them when conditions are right. Along with the window air flow, I think I could create a passive air flow:

What a gift!

There are many things in life that put a smile on our face. God gives us these gifts for our enjoyment and to acknowledge his awesome wonder and power that manifests through his creations. I have been told by more than one breeder that Hotots were horrible moms, had DOA litters and were very difficult to get bred. In fact I bought a whole herd because of the above statements (they never had any litters) and was determined not believe it but see for myself what I could do with them. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1

Within 4 months of having these rabbits that never produced for the previous owner, we have had 29 babies born(!!) and two does are currently bred, palp. positive. Astounding. The very same barren rabbits are flourishing in my care. I am so honored that God is blessing our animals and during the sermon today and a verse stuck out..."If you fully obey the LORD you GOD and carefully follow all his commands...The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hands to." Deut. 28:(1)(8) God is so gracious!

Barn Talk

I used to love blogging but felt the need to post every day and quickly became burned out. I hope to kindle that love again as I enjoy talking about our furry critters.

Lilly's litter are growing so fast! I took the nestbox completely out today and it looks like they have more room now. Ms. Lilly will be going to Arkansas in a few weeks to her new home and I'm pretty excited she'll be spoiled rotten by her new mom. I've been asked what will happen with the babies and I'm not sure yet. There are some promising little ones in the bunch but they change so much so only time will tell who I'll be keeping.

Lilly yesterday...


Muffy was moved to a different cage this morning, I don't think Diamond liked being on the bottom cage. She's so curious and relaxed on the top tier so there she'll stay. Muffy on the other hand is marking the cage up since a doe has lived in it. Silly boy. Speaking of silly boys...my husband has decided to put siding on the rabbit barn and didn't even tell me!! He got a quote and has it scheduled for next weekend. I don't even want to know how much that will cost but it was so sweet of him to surprise me with it. The wood is starting to get water damage on the outside and its not treated. With the siding it will protect the barn for years and has the extra benefit of insulating it as well. So looks like 12 holes will be the max for me since as much money as we have invested in that barn...its staying. lol!

Enjoy your Sunday and please keep America in your prayers today as we remember.